Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marikina and Nanchang

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanchang: $648 a month against $704 in Marikina, rent and utilities included – about $670 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Marikina outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

34

Cost of Living Index in Marikina
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Marikina Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Nanchang
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Nanchang Living Index

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Marikina

🇵🇭 Philippines

$704

/mo nomad

Nanchang

🇨🇳 China

$648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Marikina and in Nanchang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Marikina and in Nanchang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $704 per month in Marikina vs $648 in Nanchang, rent included.

Marikina $704
Nanchang $648

A couple spends around $1,094 per month in Marikina vs $1,058 in Nanchang, rent included.

Marikina $1,094
Nanchang $1,058

A family of three spends $1,484 per month in Marikina vs $1,467 in Nanchang, rent included.

Marikina $1,484
Nanchang $1,467

Marikina costs about 9% more than Nanchang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Marikina and Nanchang are more affordable than the global median – Marikina 48% lower, Nanchang 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.07 ₱257

$2.35 ¥15.70

73.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.37 ₱2,038

$18.21 ¥122

77.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.17 ₱199

$4.81 ¥32.18

-34.10%

Cappuccino

$2.29 ₱144

$2.59 ¥17.29

-11.58%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₱34.81

$0.44 ¥2.92

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱20.92

$0.27 ¥1.81

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₱63.7

$1.31 ¥8.76

-22.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.89 ¥12.66

24.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ₱117

$2.05 ¥13.70

-9.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$2.40 ¥16.07

-48.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₱66.5

$0.84 ¥5.64

26.19%

Eggs

$2.08 ₱131

$1.67 ¥11.15

24.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 ₱466

$13.25 ¥88.6

-44.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.20 ₱264

$3.95 ¥26.44

6.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.78 ₱427

$11.77 ¥78.7

-42.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 ₱155

$1.99 ¥13.29

23.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 ₱128

$1.08 ¥7.22

87.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱146

$1.91 ¥12.74

21.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱145

$1.81 ¥12.12

27.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$0.91 ¥6.11

161.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.48 ₱219

$1.13 ¥7.54

207.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱69.5

$0.61 ¥4.10

80.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₱44.21

$0.43 ¥2.90

62.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ₱184

$3.07 ¥20.51

-4.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.73 ₱550

$12.42 ¥83.0

-29.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₱62.0

$0.78 ¥5.20

25.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱129

$1.52 ¥10.19

34.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ₱31.34

$0.26 ¥1.75

92.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.93 ¥99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₱46.04

$1.24 ¥8.26

-41.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.31 ¥2.08

-25.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

$7.29 ¥48.75

-73.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱78.3

$1.25 ¥8.34

-0.80%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.7K ₱1.4M

$19.1K ¥127.7K

13.50%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$17.9K ¥119.4K

8.85%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$139 ₱8,744

$34.93 ¥234

297.60%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$16.19 ₱1,019

$9.27 ¥62.0

74.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.10 ₱1,769

$13.34 ¥89.2

110.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.73 ₱2,312

$42.85 ¥287

-14.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.61 ¥131

Cinema Ticket

$7.11 ₱448

$6.42 ¥42.91

10.75%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$131 ₱8,250

$326 ¥2,176

-59.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,456 ₱469.4K

$16.8K ¥112.2K

-55.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 ₱3,774

$37.86 ¥253

58.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.37 ₱1,786

$22.07 ¥148

28.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ₱4,745

$87.6 ¥585

-13.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.7 ₱3,442

$60.7 ¥405

-9.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$180 ₱11.3K

$223 ¥1,493

-19.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.2 ₱4,986

$118 ¥791

-33.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.3K

$451 ¥3,014

-28.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$145 ₱9,110

$257 ¥1,718

-43.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,134 ₱71.4K

$2,008 ¥13.4K

-43.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 ₱30.3K

$1,624 ¥10.9K

-70.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$387 ₱24.3K

$745 ¥4,984

-48.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.46

95.09%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Marikina: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nanchang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Marikina

$206 29.2%

Nanchang

$227 35% 10.4% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marikina

$183 26%

Nanchang

$58 8.9% 68.6% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Marikina

$98 14%

Nanchang

$94 14.5% 4.7% $4.6

Eating Out

Marikina

$83 11.8%

Nanchang

$77 11.9% 6.6% $5.5

Accommodation & Living

Marikina

$79 11.3%

Nanchang

$118 18.3% 49.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Marikina

$51 7.2%

Nanchang

$56 8.6% 9.3% $4.7

Getting Around

Marikina

$3.9 * 0.6%

Nanchang

$19 2.9% 384% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $180 in Marikina versus $223 in Nanchang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 93% higher in Nanchang, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Marikina versus $18.00 in Nanchang. Groceries tell a different story – $206 in Marikina vs $227 in Nanchang – so Marikina wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Marikina

🇨🇳 Nanchang

🕒 Local time

08:49 8:49 AM

Same time as Marikina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

456,059

5,042,566

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Marikina Nanchang 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Marikina
Nanchang

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Marikina vs Nanchang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $704 in Marikina, $648 in Nanchang – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,056 per month in Marikina and $973 in Nanchang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nanchang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $704 in Marikina and $648 in Nanchang. That's a gap of about 9%.

Kindergarten costs $131 per month in Marikina and $326 in Nanchang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $704 in Marikina and $648 in Nanchang, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Nanchang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nanchang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Marikina makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.